Hollywood treasures go under the hammer

A letter from Marilyn Monroe, Jack Nicholson's Joker costume and John Wayne's cowboy hat are just a few of the hundreds of items of Hollywood memorabilia being auctioned in New York.

The sale is being organised by Bonhams and Turner Classic Movies to raise money for the Film Foundation.

Catherine Williams, Director of the Fine Books and Manuscripts and Entertainment Memorabilia at Bonhams in Los Angeles, has spent all year gathering property for the auction.

She told BBC Radio 5 live's Breakfast "They have been in various places - in private collections or a few small institutions... the star of the auction is the Maltese Falcon and that has been a much loved piece."